Method of sealing moisture in sheet fiber material



. June so, 1942.

L. BIGGS 2,287,776

METHOD OF SEALING moxswuns m swam FIBER" MATERIAL Fiied Dep. 27, 1958 ATTORN E Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF SEALING MOISTURE 1N SHEET FIBER MATERIAL Llewellyn Biggs, Leonia, N. J assignor to Ameri-'- can Can Company, New York N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 27, 1938, Serial No. 247,930

r 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a method of treating fiber material to produce and retain moisture therein and has particular reference to introducing into the fiber a predetermined quantity of moisture and sealing it in with a coating ,of sealing material. i

In manufacturing containers and like articles from fiber 'web material or stock, especially where drawing operations are concerned, extreme difilculty has been experienced in working the stock when it becomes dried out and brittle during storage prior to use. This difliculty is overcome in the present method by putting 'back into the fiber stock an exact desired quan-' tityof water in order to keep the moisture content at a definite point. The moistened web is then immediately coated with a thin film of paraflin or similar wax on both sides and edges and this seals the moisture in the stock and'keeps it pliable and workable for a considerable length of time.

An object', therefore, ofthe invention is the provision of a method of moistening a web of fiber stock to a desired predetermined degree and sealing this moisture in the stock by coating it over all with a sealing material so that the-stock will remain in a workable condition for a considerable length of time.

Another object is the provision of such a method wherein the stock'is run through a bath of water at a predetermined speed so that it will absorb a definite degree of moisture and immediately after moistening the stock is immersed in a bath of fluid paraflin or other wax in order to seal in the absorbed moisture and thereby maintain the stock at a desired degree of pliability.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying ;drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring-to the drawing, the figure is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of an apparatus for carrying out the method steps embodying the instant invention. i

v As a preferred exemplification of the invention the drawing illustrates one form of apparatus for treating a strip or web A of fiber material in accordance with the instant method steps. In the machine: the strip is preferably unrolled from a.supply roll B, passed through a bath of water action will result.

cross shafts 331 which are carried in suitable be regulated in any suitable manner so that for a definite speed a desired degree of moisture will be obtained.

The supply roll Bof fiber stock is preferably supported on a rod 1 5 carried in bifurcated bearings l2 formed in a roll stand l3 mounted on a 'base M. The water bath C is retained in a tank l5 mountedadjacent the stock supply roll B on pedestals ll which are secured tothe base II.

The strip A of stock from the supply roll 13 is carried up over a roller l8 mounted on a shaft 19 disposed in bearings 20 of a pair of bracket arms 2| formed on the entrance end of the water tank IS. The strip then extends down into the water in the tank where it takes under a pair of spaced guide rollers 26 mounted on cross shafts 25 carried in stufiing box bearings 26 formed in the tank side walls.

At the discharge end of the tank C the moistened strip A. emerges from the water and passes between a pair of feed rollers 3f, 32. It is these rollers which draw the strip through the water as it is unreeled from the supply roll. These rollers are rotated in unison in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the'machine. The rollers also serve as pressure rollers which squeeze the excess water from the surfaces of the strip. The pressure on these rollers may be set so that the desired squeezing The rollers are mounted on stumng box bearings formed in the tank side walls.

After leaving the pressure rollers 3|, 32 ,the moistened strip A passes up and over the discharge end of the water tank and is guided along a curved and downward path of travel into the paraflin bath D which is. adjacent this end of the water tank. The strip during this passage is guided by upper and lower curved guide plates 36, 31.

The paraifin bath D is retained in a. U-shaped reservoir 4| which houses a heating coil 42 for maintaining the paraffin in a molten condition. The lower guide plate 31 just mentioned is or may be an extension of one end wall of this reservoir. The reservoir is carried on leg brackets C, immediately thereafter, run through a bath 43 which are secured to the base H. The strip A extends down into the paraflln in the reservoir 4| and then curves upwardly, hanging suspended in a loop spaced away from the bottom of the reservoir. It is in this reservoir that the water moistened strip is entirely covered with molten parafiln the edges of the strip aswell as the flat surfaces-becoming-coated with a thin film of the paraflin which seals in the water previously absorbed by the strip. 4

After leaving the paraflin reservoir 4| the sealed strip A passes up between a pair of spaced guide bars 44 which are carried in end plates 45 secured to the reservoir side walls. The sealed strip moves above the guide bars and passes between a pair of auxiliary feedrolls 46. These are the rolls that draw the strip through the paraffin reservoir 4!. The feed rolls are rotated in unison in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

The feed rolls 46- also serve as pressure rolls which squeeze oil any excess paramn which adheres to the strip; The pressure on these rolls may be adjusted to obtain a desired squeezing action therebetween The rolls are mounted on cross shafts 41 carried in bearings 48 formed in bracket arms 49 projecting outwardly from the water tank It.

From the auxiliary feed rolls 46 the strip travels down on to the rewinding roll E, the strip passing over an idler roller 52 which keeps it taut. The idler roller is mounted on a shaft 53 carried in U-shaped notches 56 formed. in a pair of strip tightener arms 55. One end of each of the arms is mounted on a pivot shaft 56 carried in a bearing bracket 51 which may be formed integrally with an end wall of the parafiin reservoir 4|. The opposite ends of'the tightener arms 55 carry a roller 58 which rides on top of the strip as it is rewound on the roll E.

The roll E of strip stock is supported on a shaft 6| carried in U-shaped bearing lugs 62 formed on a roll stand 63 secured to the base I 4. The shaft is rotated in any suitable manner in time with the other moving parts of the machine so that the strip may be wound onto the roll in time with its passage through the machine.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,

construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spiirt and scopeof the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

The method of sealing moisture within sheet fiber material to prevent subsequent drying out of the same with resulting cracking of the stock when articles are drawn therefrom, which comprises feeding a web of the fiber material through a bath of water beneath the surface thereof at a predetemined speed to permit all exposed surfaces including the side edges of the material to absorb a definite and predetermined degree of moisture, removing excess water from the moistened material while controlling the amount of such removal, immediately thereafter feeding the moistened web of fiber material through a bath of molten wax while maintaining said web freely suspended beneath the surface thereof to insure completely coating the opposite'surfaces and side edges of the material with suflicient wax to effectively seal the moisture therewithin, and finally removing excess wax coating from said moistened and coated material, whereby to produce a fiber sheet material having sealed therewithin the desired moisture content, to maintain pliability of such material during storage and to permit fiber articles to be subsequently drawn therefrom without cracking of the material.

LLEWELLYN BIGGS. 

